Saint Julian

Taddeo Gaddi, who served as Giotto's principal assistant for twenty-four years before establishing his own independent practice, painted this image of Saint Julian around 1340. Saint Julian the Hospitaller, patron of travelers and innkeepers, was especially popular in Florence, where his legend of accidental parricide and subsequent penitence resonated with the mercantile city's culture of penance and charity. The panel likely formed part of a larger altarpiece ensemble.

Tempera and gold on panel, depicting the saint against a gold ground with careful attention to the identifying attributes. Taddeo's figure shows the solid, volumetric modeling inherited from Giotto, combined with more refined surface detail and decorative gold tooling.